Newcastle United took a major step to locking down a Champions League place with a barnstorming display in the capital to sweep West Ham aside.
Eddie Howe's team didn't have it all their own way as the home side threatened to take an early lead and then made things trickier just before the break but Newcastle always seemed to have a steady hand on the tiller. At times it was a joy to watch and while West Ham are a side in serious trouble the Magpies are a match for anybody in this type of sizzling form.
It's four wins in a row for the black and whites now and Europe will be a formality within weeks if they can keep it up.
Howe made the call to rest Alexander Isak and start with Callum Wilson in the capital while hamstring victim Joe Willock was also benched for Joelinton. Both of those decisions were fully vindicated within 15 minutes of play in Stratford though.
READ MORE: Newcastle United boss issues 'not for sale' message on Allan Saint-Maximin as AC Milan warned
The game - which had already kicked off a minute late due to the pre-match proceedings - then got off to a false start before referee Craig Pawson ordered the contest to be restarted again. On the second attempt, West Ham broke down the right with Jarrod Bowen breaking free and crossing into the box, and getting past Dan Burn, before Bruno Guimaraes turned the ball against his own post with Declan Rice firing over.
The early scare was followed by another West Ham attack on four minutes as Bowen rolled a shot wide. The Magpies then found a little respite from the home side's bright and bubbly start when winning a corner on the left-hand flank.
Kieran Trippier's corner ended up at the feet of Allan Saint-Maximin who floated in a cross from the right with Wilson rising high to glance a header into the corner and put the visitors 1-0 up on six minutes. The rain may have been lashing into the faces of the travelling Geordie fans.
But they were loving it, and their night would get even better just eight minutes later. Fabian Schar's long pass found Joelinton who timed his run perfectly to beat the offside lines, round Lukasz Fabianski and slot in a second.
The flag initially went up before it was referred to video official David Coote. TV replays though showed that Emerson had kept Joelinton onside and the Brazilian was able to celebrate his fifth of the season.
As the game reached the end of the first quarter Newcastle had enjoyed 58% of the ball and were playing more like the home side. West Ham tried to strike back on 28 minutes when they won a free-kick but despite Lucas Paqueta getting good contact Nick Pope pushed it away to safety for a corner.
Moments later, Rice's driving run saw him slip in Mikael Antonio but Sven Botman's strong sliding tackle looped the ball away for a corner which the Magpies then dealt with very well. Wilson skipped through just after the half-hour mark but Fabianski rushed out and made the save.
West Ham had been edging their way back into the contest as the half wore on and they were finally rewarded with a goal five minutes before the break. A corner from Bowen was hoisted in and while Pope may argue he was left to deal with the threat of Antonio alone, some may say he should have done better with the cross.
Yet Botman could also have done better with his attempt at marking Kurt Zouma who broke past him and powered home a header to make it 2-1. Newcastle could have given themselves another layer of comfort for the second half when Trippier picked out Saint-Maximin but his cushioned cross did not find a team-mate.
And that's how it stayed as the teams made the long trek to the tunnel for the interval after a pulsating first half. Having set the tone in the opening 45 minutes a complete gift came the way of Newcastle straight after the break.
Inside a minute of the restart, Fabianski rolled the ball to Nayef Aguerd but he never looked like he had the ball under control. The ever-alert Murphy raced in to pinch the ball before squaring it to Wilson who slammed home.
That restored the Magpies' two-goal cushion on the night and Newcastle soon got back to playing with the same swagger fans are used to seeing from their side. And swagger was definitely the word on 55 minutes when West Ham simply couldn't deal with the Toon pressure.
Longstaff lofted a diagonal ball to Saint-Maximin who picked out Joelinton before he backheeled the ball to Murphy and Fabianski beat the ball away. Had the move ended in a goal it would have been a strike that would have been played over and over again on television and the internet.
Confidence was oozing by now for Newcastle and Wilson took one touch near the centre circle and attempted a long-range effort that Fabianski had to pat down. Saint-Maximin then cut through the West Ham defence and Fabianski got a glove on a low shot.
On 63 minutes, Howe made a treble change with Anthony Gordon, Isak and Willock coming on for Murphy, Saint-Maximin and a smiling Wilson. With 16 minutes left another flowing move finished up with Bruno sending one just wide as Newcastle looked for a fourth.
They found it with 81 minutes on the clock when Bruno's ball had West Ham keeper Fabianski panicking. After racing out he bundled the ball into the path of Isak who calmly floated it from 30 yards into the unguarded net to to take us to 4-1.
Joelinton then added more gloss the scoreline after latching on to Bruno's pass before running at Zouma and finding the finish to beat Fabianski again. That had the Toon faithful chanting about trips to Italy as the game drifted to a conclusion.
A few more nights like this and those passports will be at the ready on Tyneside.
READ NEXT
Eddie Howe's 'thank you' to Newcastle United fans as summer transfer hunt gets under way
The special move Howe rated highly against Man United - and plea to midfielders
Alexander Isak's scary Newcastle United message to the rest of the Premier League
Newcastle United could have permanent exit lined up for 'ultimate pro'
Joe Willock 'in love' with Newcastle United and has no regrets about Arsenal exit
